Beijing, Sept 26: The global launch event of the 2024 Weifang International Kite Festival and Weifang Kite Carnival was held at People’s Daily.
Diplomats from Turkey and Romania, international students, domestic and foreign media, and companies jointly witness the event’s opening.
Weifang, acclaimed as the Capital of Kites, has held the Weifang International Kite Festival for 41 consecutive years since 1984. Since it enjoys a reputation at home and abroad, it was upgraded to Weifang International Kite and Weifang Kite Carnival last year.
Yun Liu, the Secretary of the CPC Weifang Municipal Committee, delivered remarks at the event. He emphasized the economic status of Weifang in Shandong province.
Jianhua Yang, a member of the Weifang Municipal Committee and the Minister of the Weifang Communication Department pointed out that by virtue of their creativity and innovation, Weifang kites have drawn global attention, which are exported to more than fifty countries and regions, with the total output value has exceeded 2 billion yuan.
Hongli Guo, an artist of Weifang kite, who has traveled to over fifty countries to spread the culture of kites, shared his experience at the event.
Andreea-Ema Stoian, the senior relations officer of Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing, said that she likes the bird-shaped kite the most and hopes that she could spread Chinese culture to the world. Zirui Lin, a Russian student at Peking University, said in fluent Chinese that kites are very beautiful, represent Chinese traditional culture, and are China’s cultural heritage.
Held both in spring and fall, the 41st Weifang International Kite Festival and 2024 Weifang Kite Carnival are themed “Let Dreams Fly and Embrace the World”. The event held in spring involves thirty-one activities and the second event will be held from 21st September to 26th October, with twenty activities in total.